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Syracuse goalkeeper Lysianne Proulx aligned herself perfectly to block a Duke shot in the 28th minute of the game. She stood in the middle of the goal, anticipating a strong shot. Just as the ball came towards her, it changed direction, deflecting off of Syracuse defender Zoe Van de Cloot, and headed for the top right corner.

All Proulx could do was stand in her position and watch the ball ripple into the back of the net. Duke, who had dominated all game, was up 1-0.

Syracuse (4-6-1, 0-4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) fell to No. 4 Duke (8-1-1, 2-1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 2-0 on Saturday night in North Carolina. The game marked the fifth consecutive loss for the Orange.

Syracuse saw little of the ball as Duke controlled the tempo and sent constant shots on Syracuse’s net. The Blue Devils registered 27 shots, including 17 on target, compared to SU’s three shots. Duke nearly took an early lead in the seventh minute after quick passing outside of Syracuse’s penalty area led to an open shot in the box. Proulx dove to her left to push the ball away from goal. In the 14th minute, the Blue Devils again threatened after midfielder Mackenzie Pluck broke away from two defenders and charged towards goal. Pluck was met by an alert Proulx, who immediately jumped in front of her eventual shot to make a diving stop.

Proulx would again deny Pluck in the 18th minute after sloppy passing in Syracuse’s backline. The senior’s low shot was met by a sprawling Proulx, who saved the opportunity using her feet. In the 28th minute, Duke took the lead after midfielder Lily Nabet’s high shot deflected off of Van de Cloot’s head and nestled into the top right corner.

The Blue Devils almost doubled their 1-0 advantage in the 40th minute following a scramble in the Syracuse box. After a shot on goal was cleared off the line, the ball bounced around and found a lingering Duke player, who sent a close range shot towards goal. Proulx stood her ground and got a hand on the ball, sending it over the top of the crossbar for a corner kick.

The onslaught of Blue Devil chances did not let up in the second half. In the 56th minute, Proulx had another strong save against Pluck, saving to her right. After Syracuse’s defense failed to deal with the rebound, sophomore Maggie Graham sent a low shot through three Syracuse defenders. Proulx dove but could not get a hand on the ball, and Graham’s shot rolled into the back of the net to give Duke a 2-0 advantage.

In the 63rd minute, Graham almost scored her second goal after receiving the ball on the left side of the box. Graham sent a point-blank shot right at Proulx, who did well to put an outstretched hand up and deflect the ball over the crossbar. Proulx was challenged again six minutes later but saved another low Duke shot, stopping the opportunity by using her legs.

Duke’s final big chance came in the 72nd minute, when forward Grace Watkins found herself one-on-one with Proulx. Watkins sent a hard shot towards the Syracuse keeper, who brilliantly caught the ball while falling down to avoid a second-chance opportunity.

Syracuse was outnumbered in every offensive statistic, including having only one corner compared to Duke’s 12. Proulx set a new caree high in the game with 15 saves, eclipsing her previous record of 14.

Syracuse continues ACC play in its next game. The Orange travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, on Thursday at the Seminole Soccer Stadium.

Published on October 2, 2021 at 10:23 pm

Contact Zach: zhgoldma@syr.edu